Power rates for households will not be increased in 2020 / Photo from UNIAN
The Anti-Crisis Energy Headquarters will also look for solutions not to let power rates for the industry grow higher than last year's level.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says that the country's government will not increase power rates for households this year.
"We are not going to change the price of electricity for the population this year. This is an important indicator. And this issue was also discussed with the president, so there is no need for additional discussions," he said during a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy and Utilities on Tuesday, May 12.
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The price of electric energy for industrial consumers in Ukraine has been fluctuating, and the market needs additional tools so that the price does not rise.
"The price will be fluctuating. Of course, we need to take a number of steps. Market participants – Energoatom, the renewable energy sector – should have an opportunity to enter into direct contracts. We need to work on this. Corresponding amendments should be introduced to laws," he said.
Power rates for industrial consumers will be formed depending on an agreement between the government and investors in renewable energy, which is expected to be achieved this week, he said. The prime minister promised that electricity prices for business consumers would not be higher than last year's rates.
"There are scenarios for how the general price set for industrial consumers or non-households will react [to agreements with the renewable energy sector]. In any case, it will be lower than it was in the same period last year. Even in the worst-case scenario, it will be cheaper than was last March," he said.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Public Utilities on May 5 presented two scenarios for overcoming the debt crisis on the electricity market.
Both of them provided for an increase in power rates for households: from January 1, 2021 or from July 1, 2020. It also proposed that the reduced rate for the first 100 kWh of electricity consumed by households be cancelled, which would additionally collect UAH 12 billion, or US$448 million, per year for the budget.
The deputy head of the parliamentary committee on economic development, Dmytro Kysilevsky, reported that due to the shutdown of some nuclear power units and an increase in the maximum selling price of electricity from renewable sources in the market, power rates for industry over the weekend grew by 46%, to UAH 1,297 (US$48.4) per MWh.
UNIAN memo. Power rates for Ukrainian households have not changed since 2017 and are fixed at UAH 0.9 (US$ 0.03) per kWh if electricity consumption is 100 kWh or below, and the rate is set at UAH 1.68 (US$0.06) per kWh if consumption exceeds 100 kWh.